TITLE:
Depletion of the Ozone Layer and Its Consequences: A Review
AUTHORS:
Anjali Aggarwal, Reeta Kumari, Neeti Mehla, Deepali, Rishi Pal Singh, Sonal Bhatnagar, Kameshwar Sharma, Kuldeep Sharma, Vashishtha Amit, Brijesh Rathi
KEYWORDS:
Ozone Depletion; Ultra-Violet Radiation; Chlorofluorocarbons; Plants; Ecosystem
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.10,
October
9,
2013
ABSTRACT: Ozone (O3) is a stratospheric layer
that plays important role in providing support to humans for their survival. It
is an essential factor for many global, biological and environmental phenomena.
The ultra-violet (UV) rays emitted from sun are captured by ozone and thereby
provide a stable ontological structure in the biosphere. Various anthropogenic activities such as
emissions of CFCs, HCFCs and other organo-halogens lead to the depletion of
ozone. The ozone depletion resulted in secondary production of an ozone layer
near the ground (terrestrial ozone layer), which is responsible for adverse
effects on plants, humans and environment with increased number of bronchial
diseases in humans. The mutations caused by UV rays result in
variation in morphogenic traits of plants which ultimately decreases crop productivity. However,
UV radiation is required in optimum intensity for both plants and animals. This
review takes into an account the wide ranging effects of ozone depletion with a
majority of them being detrimental to the plant system.